ACE Academy Shows Students All About Aviation-Related Career Opportunities

More than 50 Valley-area students recently completed a free, weeklong Aviation Career Education (ACE) Academy session sponsored by Los Angeles World Airports. The goal is to introduce students to careers in the aviation industry beyond pilot or flight attendant. In addition to this Van Nuys-based program, which concluded August 2, a similar program for young learners is sponsored at LAX.

Many of the ACE Academy’s participants live close to Van Nuys Airport, but don't necessarily know what happens at airports or how they can work in aviation-related fields. ACE exposes them to careers such as flight dispatcher, mechanic, airport police officer, aerospace engineer, air traffic controller and many others – all of which play an important role in the day-to-day operations at any airport.

Students in the program visit local airports, including Van Nuys, LAX, and Long Beach and take tours of air traffic control towers, maintenance facilities, police and fire stations just to name a few.